Serenity’s Requiem
by Rue Ryuuzaki
Summary: Yaoi. Raito decides to become his own anonymous detective, Kira, when L refuses his attempts to work with him. It isn’t long before rivals Kira and L are equally notorious, and competition comes to them in the form of a gruesome, mocking murderer named B.
1. Inferiority and Superiority

**Title**: Serenity's Requiem  
**Chapter:** 1/?  
**Author:** Rue  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairings:** Eventual LxRaito

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by the creator of Death Note. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Warnings:** AU, Yaoi, murder, crime, disturbing psychology, and future sexual situations.

**Summary:** Yaoi.Raito decides to become his own anonymous detective, Kira, when L refuses his attempts to work with him. It isn't long before rivals Kira and L are equally notorious, and a competition comes to them in the form of a gruesome, mocking murderer named B.

Thank you ChanceXIII for supplying me with this amazing plot bunny. (pets bunny) XD

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Chapter One - **Inferiority and Superiority **

* * *

--

_No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. -Eleanor Roosevelt_

_--_

Raito was not _nervous_.

He may have been sitting stiffer than a board, he may have been clasping his hands in anticipation, he may have been excited -but not nervous. Never _nervous_. That was weak, and Raito was not weak in any sense of the word. Not in mind, body, or will. Therefore, sitting where he was sitting, waiting to talk to who he was going to talk to, he was not anxious in any way, shape or form.

It wasn't like he hadn't talked to Watari before. A couple times, really. But that was for less than a minute, catching him coming out of meetings at Headquarters. Over the passed three years, Raito had spoken to him twice, because that's how many cases L had worked on in Japan with the NPA's assistance.

Watari lugged that laptop around, in his conspicuous cloak and dagger outfit -how could Raito resist the opportunity?

He'd been trying since he'd gotten out of college to work with L, and had tracked down the people in league with him to figure out just how one went about doing that. He'd found a man that went by the alias 'Aiber' first, hacking into Yotsuba's computer system and finding that a man that went by the name 'Eraldo Coil' had been there. Raito had figured out in his first year of college that L, Danuve and Eraldo Coil were one and the same, so it seemed a bit strange for L to make a personal appearance for someone.

So when he tracked down the number that had been used, it traced back to a cell phone, where he pinpointed the location of the man and confronted him. With a gun. It could have been an imposter pretending to be L, and so Raito had approached with caution. Aiber had been friendly enough, a con man though -Raito knew easily, because he was rather adept at conning himself -and had informed him yes, he did work for L. Although when Raito had pried for more, Aiber had responded with a simple '_Sorry, but he pays me_', and that had been that.

Raito shifted in his chair and he looked to the front door, then to the clock. There was still ten minutes until Watari was supposed to arrive. He shifted yet again in his seat, but he was not nervous.

The next person he'd talked to was Naomi Penber. The NPA and the FBI had teamed together for a case in which a bomber in America was trying to make it look like a Japanese culprit in attempt to start another war between the two countries. It was no secret that Raye Penber's wife had worked with L himself, talking to him personally on the phone no less, and it hadn't been hard to contact the agent's wife. Naomi had no information for him, and so Raito was met with another dead end.

It was only a month after that case as solved that Raito met up with Watari. He'd confronted the hooded man, informing him that he wanted to work for L, and that he had no doubt that he would be an asset. L's assistant had told him that he would convey the message, and it was another year and a half until Raito would see him again after that encounter.

Eight months after talking to Watari, Raito had managed to track down Wedy. Damn, that woman was hard to find, and he'd never actually spoken to her in person. He'd played with the thought of her being a ghost of some sort, or perhaps the wind, for no matter how close he got to her physical person, she always seemed to be one step ahead of him. Finally, after two months of hot pursuit, and one very close call (he heard her footsteps, just barely, and he wasn't positive if that was just wishful thinking) he'd finally talked to her on the phone.

And he hadn't even called _her. _He'd gotten back into his car, ready to go home for the night, and then he'd gotten a phone call. He'd expected it to be Matsuda, who worked nights a frequently forgot that three in the morning was not the usual time to call coworkers to ask them questions about a case. But instead it was a deep, sexy feminine voice, who had demanded, _'Who are you and what do you want, kid?'._

Raito had told her the reasons behind his following her, and she'd sighed deeply and responded _'Damn it, you're cute. I had hoped I had a stalker, that would have been so creepily romantic'. _Then she'd told him basically the same thing Aiber had, that L paid her for keeping her mouth shut. Raito had attempted to flirt his way into some information, but she'd chuckled darkly and muttered '_Sorry, hun, no such luck. But I do hope I'll see you again. You can keep stalking me, if you like'._

_Beep._

That wasn't the sound of her hanging up, but the alarm on Raito's phone going off. He pulled it from his pocket and turned the alarm off. He stopped his foot from tapping, because that would be a tell, a classic sign of nervousness.

And Raito _wasn't -_

Okay, god damn it, he was _nervous. _

This was the first official meeting between them. This was an actual sit down meeting, and, as always, Raito was confident in his ability to impress. However, this was L, the man that could make or break his career, or even just toss him back into the dull routine that was his daily life. The cases he solved were sometimes interesting, but he was subject to less interesting cases and the torture that was paperwork.

L wasn't. L could pick and chose his cases at his whim, the most controversial, the most horrific or gruesome, the most _difficult_…The puzzles. The things Raito _needed _to keep himself sane.

So yes, he was nervous. He didn't allow it to show, but it was there, that gnawing at his gut and that cold crawling feeling in his stomach. When the doors opened, and the cloaked figure walked through, he stood and nodded calmly despite what he felt. The man tilted his hat in response and Raito could of sworn he sensed a small smile coming from the man.

"Watari, good evening," Raito said formally, politely, although inwardly he could care less for the formalities at this stage.

"Wonderful to see you again, young man," Watari gave a short bow and then stood up straight again, "Now, shall we relocate to the conference room?"

"Of course," Raito replied instantly, and they made their way down the hall. The room they were headed towards was six doors down on the left, and Watari walked beside him as he led.

Raito couldn't remember the hallway ever being this long. It even seemed narrower. Unable to accept that this might have been due to his own relative perception (thus implying that he was even more uneasy than he'd thought) Raito instead came to the illogical conclusion that they must have remodeled the building since yesterday. They continued down the hall, and Raito found his footsteps, and even his own heartbeat louder than usual.

He was exaggerating things. This was irrational. He took a shallow breath, as to not alert Watari, and calmed himself. There was nothing to worry about, after all. He was _Yagami Raito_, a genius, and L would be crazy not to want him as part of his investigative crew. If he could hire criminals, then he could certainly hire prodigal, first class NPA agents.

Opening the door for the older man, he noted for the first time that Watari held no laptop in his arms, and therefore concluded that he would not be talking to L over it. Or perhaps at all.

Again, he squelched the thought like the disgusting insect it was, not allowing it to breed.

They sat down silently across from each other, and Raito mused idly that he'd never seen Watari sitting before. Even at long meetings, he stood quietly beside the laptop unless L addressed him. Yet here he sat, without a laptop even. But then, Raito supposed, this was a very different situation. There was no case, no other agents, it was one on one.

He told himself that it was normal.

"Yagami Raito," Watari began, and in the well lit room Raito could see his lips move beneath what looked like a white mustache. Raito would have never guess he was an old man; he moved quickly, and with grace that most elderly did not have. "You have been attempting to contact L for…how long now?"

"Three years," Raito answered automatically.

"Yes, and you have been able to make contact with both Aiber and Wedy and…even Naomi Misora…is that correct?" Watari asked, placing his gloved hands in from of him on the desk. Raito's arms did not leave his sides…he didn't want the man to know his fingers were twitching.

"Yes," Raito said in response, "But you already know this, or you wouldn't be asking."

"That's right," Watari replied, and Raito saw the corner of the old man's lips tug into a half-smile under his busy mustache, "I find it interesting, is all, that you were able to track Aiber and Wedy down. They are the best at hiding for the police…the reason L hired them."

"I'm better," Raito answered simply, and the lips made another upward motion.

"So it appears," Watari nodded, "You are very stubborn, do you know this? Most people would have given up after the first or second try, but you continue on."

"I prefer persistent to stubborn," Raito told him, "And I…I do not have a choice but to continue on as I did. If I didn't try my hardest to work with him, then I would never know if there was a chance to get out."

"Get out?" Watari prompted, lacing his fingers.

"Yes."

"Of where?"

"Here," Raito finally lifted his arm to gesture to the room, although he it was easy to tell it wasn't the room he had a grudge against, but the world in general. "I am intelligent, sir, a genius. I boast, but I do not exaggerate. What this place has to offer me is not enough. It's…"

Raito paused, trying to thing up a more original way to say it, but eventually abandoned the task.

"…boring," the younger man finished, dropping his hand back to his side. He placed it on the arm of the chair gently, grasping his psyche in a vice grip and telling it calm the hell _down_. It listened, for once, and the forced sense of peacefulness sent tingles up his spine and through his fingers.

Watari paused, his body completely still, not even his fingers or lips moving, before he responded.

"You remind me a lot of him, you know," Watari informed him collectively, "L."

"I'm honored," Raito said, and it was not a complete lie. But at this point he didn't care much about anything Watari had to say besides the '_Yes, L would-be pleased to work with you'. _He was tense and eager, but on the outside he was just as composed and icy as he usually was.

Anyone else in his position would be much, much worse.

"Now, as I was saying, I'm undoubtedly impressed by your ability to track down Aiber, and more importantly Wedy -they are both criminals, did you know this?" Watari inquired softly. The tone of his voice was gentle, smooth, but firm at the same time. Raito was sure by his intonations and mannerisms that he was the type of man that did not take no for an answer.

"I figured," Raito gave a short nod.

"How did you figure, Yagami-san?" Watari asked him politely, and Raito wasn't at all surprised by the question, and answered easily.

"Aiber is a typical con man type," Raito began, "He's handsome, a good liar, and he was posing as 'Eraldo Coil' for Yotsuba so I knew he had to be an actor of some sort. Wedy, well…that was just a guess, which you just confirmed. She evaded me much too efficiently to not have a _lot _of practice running from people…such as the police, perhaps."

"I see," Watari muttered, "How observant of you…"

"To be fair, she's the one that called me, not vice versa," Raito explained to him, more in his element when he had control of the conversation.

"Hm, modesty?" Watari asked, unlacing his fingers briefly, flexing them, and then crossed them over each other once again. Raito filed this away in his mind, a clue of early arthritis, and tried to gauge the man's age. He thought sixty, maybe fifty…or perhaps younger, and he just grayed early…

"No," Raito answered after a moment, "I usually am, I suppose. For social niceties, but things like that mean nothing to me, to be honest."

"I do not mean to be insulting, Yagami-san, but…" Watari cleared his throat lightly, "You are not typically honest, are you?"

Raito didn't answer right away. It was the truth. He did generally tell lies, without a second thought, or sometimes even a first one. It all depended on what he wanted to achieve, and if a lie could get him what he wanted, then he had not qualms about doing so. Lying was actually a very common occurrence in Raito's everyday life, but…he wouldn't call himself a _liar _per se.

He just didn't tell the truth indefinitely.

"The reason I say that is," Watari elucidated his comment, "As I said, you remind me of L and L is not the most truthful person in the world."

Raito gave a small smile, "I have a feeling that's an understatement."

"Indeed," Watari chuckled for a few moments and let the deep laughter trail off into nothing, and his grin faded a bit to a relaxed look that was not a frown, but no longer a smile, "Now, we should get to the business at hand, Yagami-san."

"Definitely," Raito tilted his head forward to show his complete and utter approval of that plan.

"Now, L has informed me of his answer to your requests, and I have told him your credentials many times over," Watari took a breath, not wanting to delay the inevitable. "However, L is unwilling to allow you to work for him."

Raito didn't not spout _'What?' _as was his first instinct. He was quiet, his fingers tight around the plastic arms of his chair, the smooth texture almost grating against his fingers. He had heard the gentlemen perfectly clearly, despite what he may have wished. Instead of denying it further, he decided to bargain.

"Well…is there a reason why?" Raito queried calmly, looking at Watari unrelentingly, "Is there some sort of test he wants me to go through, or something I haven't been…"

Raito Didn't finish because there was nothing he could say. There was nothing he hadn't done perfectly, swiftly, efficiently, _brilliantly -_what the hell was the old man trying to say? No, what was _L _trying to say?

"No, in my opinion your marks on everything were incredible, shockingly so," replied Watari slowly, his lips moving carefully, "However L feels that…it is pure book smarts, that your 'persistence' proves that you are more enthusiasm than…intellect."

"_That's -_" _(so wrong!) _Raito started vehemently, his hands tightening further around the chair's solid arms, as though he were attempting to strangle them.

"I am not of the same opinion," Watari interrupted quickly, "However, it is his choice, not mine, and he feels that you are…not valuable enough for him to risk exposure."

"He thinks I would expose him?" Raito's brow furrowed and Watari nodded twice, shortly.

"It is always a risk for everyone he allows to meet him, of course, and he relayed to me that…" Watari hesitated and then shook his head, "No, it doesn't matter exactly what he said. His instructions were to inform you of his refusal and to tell you that your applications are superfluous."

Raito registered this. His impressive vocabulary allowed him to know what these words meant, said in this context, in this way…but it was nearly incomprehensible to him.

"…He wants me to give up."

L was saying _no. _Not only was he say no, he was telling him to not bother trying in the future because…because the damn answer would always he _no. _Raito had never felt the sensation he was feeling inside his stomach before. It was as though the butterflies of before had transformed to spiders and where crawling around inside him, poisoning his soul with their venom…

"Yes, that is correct, Yagami-san," and that voice was low, and still kind. Still so gentle and grandfatherly even as he tore what little hope Raito had for a relief from his boring routine that was an ordinary man's life. What the hell was _happening? _"I will of course keep your number on hand and we could get in touch with you in the future if L changes his mind."

Raito allowed his hair to fall over his eyes as he sat, his fists clenching around the black plastic arms so tightly he thought his fingers might break. He vaguely understood that this was _shock. _Because in spite of his anxiousness, his arrogance had allowed him to believe even on a subconscious level that there was no way that L could say no. That L couldn't pass up the chance to work with _him._

This was devastating, but most of all _mortifying. _Humiliation seemed to run through his very veins, running through him and burning him like the acid it was. Burning him from the inside out, and some part of him wished it really was, that he would just melt away, disintegrate, so that he would not have to face Watari, his father, his coworkers, him_self…_

Damn it. This wasn't supposed to -How could this _happen?_

"You have never been denied anything before, have you, Yagami Raito?"

Raito's head shot up to look at Watari, who he had quite nearly forgotten about during his mental tirade of self pity. He was about to protest, to object to such a rude, presumptuous question -but then he stopped.

He thought about it. He searched his mind for someone, anyone, that had ever said no to him. His mother…she'd always doted on him, allowing him to do anything in exchange for perfect marks. His father was proud of him for following in his footsteps, and he'd always treated Raito as though he were a mini-Soichiro. Sayu…that was ridiculous. His teachers, this classmates, even his superiors in the NPA…no, it was true. It was _true._

No one had ever denied him anything before. Not one _single _person. Except for _L_.

"As I thought," Watari said, his tone slightly solemn as he stood. "Yagami-san, if you are as brilliant as you say, and as your credentials suggest, then…perhaps you do not need L to work like he does."

And with that said, Watari was out the door. The door swung shut lightly, clicking and leaving Raito alone in the small conference room. His hands his loosened on the chair's arms long enough to leave them, and then curl in on themselves, balling tightly. Raito's face remained impassive as ever, even as confusion and rage surged through him.

But…

Watari was right. Raito didn't need L. He was amazed that for a while he'd been fooled by that fallacy, but it didn't matter now. Because it was true…he didn't need _L, _he was just as smart as, if not more so, than the famous detective. His admiration for the man had driven him to work with him, but now…

Now, he didn't respect L at all. L wasn't as rational as he'd previously thought. He'd said no to _Raito _and that was…just not something people did.

There was obviously something wrong with the man.

L had fancied Raito but a falling star, brilliant while it's in view, and moving rapidly -but _falling _nonetheless, and would soon would be nothing more than any empty space where the star used to be in the sky of the world. But L was _wrong, _so fucking _wrong. _Raito was no such thing, and he would shine, _without _L.

He'd become better than the detective, he'd be his own 'L' …he would make the man regret ever refusing _him._ A falling star Raito was not, but he would excel farther, shine brighter than L could ever dream of.

That arrogant, foolish _bastard. _As he sat there, determination over taking the fury that had manifested itself into his marrow, the name that he would take on was all too easy to decide on.

From now on he would be known to the world as _Kira, _and L would soon be the one falling.

--

_Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world. Push off, and sitting well in order smite the sounding furrows; for my purpose holds to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the western stars, until I die._ -Tennyson

--

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(1) The Japanese onomatopoeia 'kira kira' is the sound associated with a twinkling star

So basically, Raito's going to be another 'L' greatest detective in the world, and be known as Kira. If you haven't read Another Note, that's fine. There's barely any spoilers to the actual book, just B's character. I thought up a completely different case and everything.

The year is 2013 (March) in this chapter, and Raito just turned 26 on February 28th I believe, therefore L is 33 years old. The next chapter will be a year or so in the future…there will be several people from canon that are part of Kira's group, and just guess who Raito's Watari is going to be? X3

This story will be updated at least weekly…perhaps, sooner, depending. I am susceptible to bribery. shifty eyes But either way….

Reviews make me a very happy panda.

--Rue


	2. Friends and Foes

**Title:**Serenity's Requiem  
**Chapter:** 2/?  
**Author:** Rue  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairings:** Eventual LxRaito

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by the creator of Death Note. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Warnings:** AU, Yaoi, murder, crime, disturbing psychology, and future sexual situations.

**Summary:** Yaoi.Raito decides to become his own anonymous detective, Kira, when L refuses his attempts to work with him. It isn't long before rivals Kira and L are equally notorious, and a competition comes to them in the form of a gruesome, mocking murderer named B.

* * *

Chapter Two -**Friends and Foes**

* * *

--

__

Twinkle, twinkle, littler star, how I wonder what you are...

--

Raito didn't have many friends growing up, but he did manage to keep in contact with a two people that he could stand…for short periods of time. Outside of work, he sometimes voluntarily stayed in the same proximity as Amane Misa and Mikami Teru.

He'd met Misa in Aoyama, while he'd been undercover in his first year as an agent for the NPA, and she had grown immediately attached to him. He had not done the same, finding her much like the other girls that had become infatuated with him. She had been persistent, and had not run away crying upon his refusal to date her. In fact, she'd seemed to take this as a challenge, and begun hanging around him even more under the guise of a friend, when she was really just attempting to make him see her romantically.

She wasn't nearly as stupid as she acted, Raito had reluctantly confessed to himself. He supposed that she acted that way to appeal to the majority of the male society that preferred pretty, stupid women. He had, over the passed two years, learned to tolerate her continued presence, since there was little chance of her ever going away. Raito wasn't one to deny the inevitable, seeing as it appeared he had little choice in the matter.

Teru Mikami had connected to him on a more personal level; his work. Mikami was a prosecuting lawyer, one of the best of his age. He was incredibly intelligent, although more than slightly obsessive, but he and Raito had met through a case in his second year as an agent. Raito caught the criminal and, more often than not, Teru got them put in jail. Teru didn't take pleas, almost never settling for less than the death penalty.

Teru was the only person that Raito had ever met that actually understood justice, complete, true _justice,_ even though Raito was fairly sure that it had more to due with Teru's passion for order and not his sense of morality. It didn't matter, though, for Teru didn't pass up the opportunity to become Raito's friend... of sorts. They met for coffee every couple weeks, as they were both busy, law abiding and enforcing citizens, and caught each other up on their lives and cases.

It was a surprise to both 'friends' when, a week after L's refusal, Raito had called both Misa and Teru over to his apartment.

There were two things invariably wrong with that.

One, Raito had never invited them over to his home. They had, in the entire time they had known Raito, had never been to his apartment. They knew around where he lived, since the two of them had both accompanied him home in a taxi at one point or another, but Raito had never invited them up. There had never been a reason to, and Misa at least would take this as a romantic suggestion. Not to mention that the apartment was _his, _it was private, almost a secret in it's secluded nature.

The only people that had been inside besides him were his family members and Matsuda, when he dropped by to ask for help with a case or to pick Raito up on the rare occasions he needed a ride somewhere.

The second reason that Misa and Teru had gone silent on the other end of the line when Raito had invited them both over was a bit more simple. Namely, Teru and Misa did not get along. At _all._

Misa and Teru had become quite possessive of him, and when in the same company couldn't restrain themselves from getting into verbal (mostly) wars about who was the better friend. It started off with normal things like Misa yelling that she'd known him longer, and then Teru replied coolly that he was more intelligent than her and therefore able to better hold a conversation with Raito. Then, further into the fight, when the tension had escalated, it began to turn strange.

At one point, the reasons had turned into 'I'm prettier' and 'I have better hair'. Which, Raito thought, was less than amusing, verging on irritating. They brought out the worst in each other, and so Raito had long ago decided that three was a crowd, and spent time with them separately.

So they knew that this was, as Misa had put it, 'super duper big'. Raito had said 'important' but Misa declared that her way of speaking was cuter, and that Raito had to loosen up.

The door bell rang once, and Raito stood up from where he stood in his living room, letting his socks skid over the hardwood floor as he made his way to the front door. The doorbell rang again, and again, and again, and then several times in quick succession, and Raito came to the conclusion that Misa and Teru had arrived at the same time. He'd tried to prevent that by telling Misa to come at 8:00 exactly and Teru at 8:10, however Misa had screwed that up once she'd decided to be late.

He opened the door rapidly, and there stood the two people he…could accept existence of.

"Raito!" Misa jumped in, throwing her black lace covered arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek. Raito thanked god for smear-proof lipstick, and then peeled her off him.

"Misa," Raito replied shortly, pulling her to the side, "Let Teru in."

"Do we _have _to?" She sighed, sticking out her bottom lip and fluttering her eyelashes in a way that Raito supposed was supposed to be cute, but ended up being a bit nauseating.

"I could say the same thing about you, Amane," Teru said tartly, stepping into the air conditioned atmosphere of Raito's room and out of the muggy air of outside.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Misa demanded, brow furrowing as she glared at the man. Raito shut the door, lest one of them stay true to their word and toss the other outside. The woman tugged at Raito's arm and Raito found himself being pulled over to the couch.

Raito wasn't fond of being manhandled in such a fashion, but he was asking for favors -_big_ favors, so he allowed it.

He saw Teru's eyes spark, apparently noting in his mind that Raito seemed more willing to cooperate with Misa's obvious advances today than usual.

"Let's sit down, shall we?" Raito asked, even as Misa pulled him to the couch next to her, and he landed on his bottom stiffly. Teru nodded, eyes narrowed and sat down in the chair across from the couch. "I'd offer you a drink, but I find myself otherwise occupied."

Misa giggled and only tightened her hold, as if saying that Teru could suffer without a drink for all she cared.

"So what brings us here, Raito?" Teru inquired, straightening his tie and focusing his eyes on Raito, deliberately looking away from Misa. "This is quite unusual."

"Yes," Raito agreed, tilting his head forward a bit, "But I find myself in need your help. Both of you."

Misa gasped and Teru blinked.

"_Really? _Raito never asks Misa Misa for help!" Misa beamed up at Raito, who looked down at her passively, not even raising an eyebrow to her outburst.

"Aren't you too old for cutesy third person talk?" Teru asked, eyes darting to the female in the room, and Raito's only thought was _'my sentiments exactly' _although he was used to her antics by now.

"Are you saying Misa Misa is old?" Misa snapped, blue eyes flashing at the black haired man, "I'm only 25-years-old!"

"That's not what your birth certificate says," Teru responded with a nonchalant shrug, and before Misa could answer, blowing up her cheeks in anger, the lawyer turned back to Raito, "So what are these favors you need to ask of us?"

"I want to become my own detective, equivalent to L," Raito answered quickly, taking the opportunity where it was given to him. They'd probably get on another train of insults if he didn't, and he'd never get to ask them what he wanted to ask.

"Wha…?" Misa blinked, eyes heavily coated in mascara and eyeliner closing briefly and reopening in his direction, blaring him with unrelenting sky blue.

"I thought," Teru began slowly, his black eyes narrowing further and one eyebrow raising in question, "You wanted to work _with _him…not _against _him."

"Technically," Raito returned, meeting the dark stare, "I'm not working against him…that's criminals. I just intend to be his…competition."

"What changed your mind?" Teru pried leaning forward a little bit to show his interest.

"Raito doesn't have to answer that!" Misa called, and Raito nearly flinched, but stopped himself from doing something so undignified and uncontrolled. "Mikami is being a nosy little _bas -_"

"That sort of language isn't very lady like language, now is it?" Teru shook his head, "At the very least I would have expected you to act your gender, but I suppose for someone as barbaric and disorderly as you that's too much to ask for."

"YOU -_!"_

"Both of you," Raito cut the woman off. Somehow he felt like the parent between children. One child of whom was sexually attracted to him and the other that was strangely possessive. Ugh, if he'd wanted children, he would have gotten married and had some, but at least then he could send them to an orphanage or something. "I'm trying to ask for your help, and you both know that's not easy for me."

"You're right! I'm so sorry, Raito!"

"My apologies, Raito."

"Good, now, as I said, I want to be a detective like L," Raito restarted, crossing one leg over the other, in his usual sitting position. "Anonymous, powerful…But of course, I know that doesn't come easily, or over night. L basically has control over most of the governments in the world, his influence international…he is even allowed pardon from certain laws just because he is who he is."

"Uh huh…" Misa nodded, touching her pointer finger to her lip, her smirk lined with pink lip gloss, "I can fund you! You'll probable need money, right, so I can totally pay for it all!"

"Amane, you fool, although I admit that would help, it isn't a constant source of income," Teru sneered slightly at the girl, "People would notice all your money going somewhere -you could probably _help, _but he can't be dependant on you."

"Yes, he -!"

"No, Teru is correct," Raito interrupted her, and she gave high-pitched yelp, "It's not money that is most important from you, Misa. What I need from you, from both of you, is exposure."

Teru nodded, as though this had already crossed his mind.

"Like…PR?" Misa asked, and Raito affirmed it was a swift bob of his head, "Oh! Okay…and Misa Misa is a model and Mikami is a lawyer!"

"Yes," Raito agreed, "I'd like it if Teru could start dropping the name I'm going to use around -many people don't approve of L, so you could suggest an alternative."

"Anything to help, of course, Raito," Teru grasped the left stem of his glasses and straightened them out of habit.

"For once, I agree with Mikami!" Misa said loudly, hugging Raito's arm tighter, "Anything to help my Raito!"

And so it was set, and Raito told them all the information they needed for promoting him to the country. Misa would enlist in the help of her friend (and Raito's former girlfriend from college) Kiyomi Takada, who was now a news anchor. Luckily, although Raito was hardly interesting in her romantically despite what he projected, she had been the one to break it off with him in their senior year. She had wanted to have more time for her studies, and Raito hadn't been all that disappointed with the conclusion of their relationship.

Takada was always impressed by him, and she was by far the smartest woman he'd ever met (although that really wasn't saying much), so although she may not be as close to him, his secret was safe in her hands. She helped, after he'd completed his first case as Kira, by broadcasting it on television for Japan to see.

Mikami did his part by dropping small hints to his boss, who then in turn -when a case was too difficult -recommended a detective named Kira. Mikami said he could get into contact with him, and thus Raito got his first case, solving it in only two says. It was a simple murder, nothing by his standards, but he had to start off somewhere…and the cases did get more difficult, and multiplied.

Within two months he was somewhat known around the police force, and Raito continued working for the NPA for quite a while. It would look suspicious if, directly after he quit, a genius detective popped up that had never been heard of before. He didn't get as much sleep as he liked, but that was a low price to pay for what he was try to accomplish.

Raito was willing to sacrifice rest for justice…and revenge.

Earning the extra funding he needed was not as difficult as Raito had anticipated. Yotsuba was happy to fund him when he informed them that he knew of their contact with Eraldo Coil, and wouldn't it just be _horrible _for the newspapers and tabloids to get a hold of that little bit of information? Blackmail was not below Raito, not when the outcome made up for the less than moral means.

His main contact within Yotsuba was a man named Namikawa, however others, known as Higuchi and Mido, were known to call him when Namikawa was predisposed. They wired him money, though they only knew him as Kira, and Raito had actually gotten business through them once, five months into his new position as Kira, and he helped a company that they wanted to do business with by figuring out who was embezzling money from them.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) dominated Japan's Government, and it took Raito six months and three days to be recognized by them. They also made it possible for him to register as a private detective under his pseudonym.

Kanio Hatiyama, the justice minister, had recently gone through a scandal and needed to regain support, which Amane Misa provided only by mentioning in an interview that she liked him. In exchange for him backing Kira completely and basically allowing Kira free reign over any Japanese cases that that caught his fancy. It had been proved that Kira was adept at his job, solving cases more quickly than even the police force and the NPA could.

It was only then that Raito turned in his two weeks notice.

Takada was true to her word, and soon news competitors like Demegawa were trying to get more information on this new Japanese detective, although Takada always came out on top because of her inside resources. It was good for Raito, who got even more publicity due to Demegawa's lust for fame, and therefore after only a little more than a year, Kira was known as the best detective in Japan.

It was a long ways away from the best in the _world_…but it was certainly something.

--

Raito did not have a headquarters, although he did keep his apartment for show, even though he rarely slept there. He instead stayed at a different hotel every two weeks, unless someone told him they were coming over. That was why he was taking a cab over to his apartment at that very moment, around five in the morning, just to meet Matsuda at his door.

He wasn't sure, exactly, what was wrong with the man _this _time. If it were help with a case, he would have been content reaching Raito on his cell (the cell phone that he used as Raito -he had three more that he used for his occupation as Kira, now) and only came over to his house when Raito didn't pick up the phone. However, Matsuda had called him, and said he was coming over and then hung up quite rapidly.

__

"Raito-kun? Raito, is that you? Oh, good! I'm sorry to call you this early in the morning, but I really need to talk to you! Is -uh -is that cool?"

"I…suppose."

"Good! I mean, great! I'm on my way over right now -thanks so much!"

That had been all. Raito had sighed, slipped his shoes on and gotten directly into a cab, wondering why people like that always seemed to get attached to him. He supposed he was polite enough, but really, sometimes he really just wished people would stay away. He was not antisocial per se…he was not against social interaction…he just frowned upon it.

The cab pulled in to his apartment complex, and Raito pulled out his keys as he walked up the steps, hoping Matsuda was not already there waiting for him. He was fortunate when he found that yes, Matsuda was running behind as usual, and he entered his apartment for the first time in two weeks and three days. He entered and locked the door behind him, kicked off his shoes, lining them straightly by the door set down his brief case on the desk in his room. He brushed his hair and loosened his tie.

It was then that the doorbell rang, and Raito started back to the door from which he had just passed and opened it for his fellow agent. Matsuda smiled a grateful, shaky smile as he stepped in, and then Raito knew for certain that something was wrong. Usually, Matsuda grinned crookedly and shouted in a gratingly loud voice '_Hullo, Raito-kun, how're you!?'._

Raito shut the door behind the man, relocked it and offered Matsuda the couch. Again Raito was offered a small smile, and Matsuda all but collapsed on the piece of furniture, throwing his head back with a groan.

"I got _suspended._"

This, despite his thoughts on the older man's mental capabilities, was actually quite surprising. Matsuda had always had his fair share of screw ups, but he'd never been punished for them so harshly. He mostly received warnings, or was told to go home for the day...What did surprise Raito, however, was why in the world Matsuda would think he would care.

However, Matsuda didn't have many people that tolerated him, or at least pretended to, so Raito accepted his fate and sat down in the chair across from the couch.

"I see," Raito steepled his fingers together loosely, "What happened?"

"I…rushed in," Matsuda frowned, pulling his head up straight, "I…shouldn't have. We caught them…most of them…but one of the -the leader -he got away. If I hadn't done it, we probably wouldn't have caught _any _of 'em but…yeah. Just…yeah."

Raito nodded, and Matsuda ran a hand through his hair, looking around the living room.

"How long?" Raito asked, watching Matsuda's face closely. He saw the dark brown eyes trailing around his room and stopping at certain places.

"A…month," Matsuda said flippantly, sitting up straighter an blinking in a way that reminded Raito of his usual upbeat self. "Hey, Raito…you weren't here, were you?"

Raito was surprised yet again, but didn't allow it to show, "What do you mean?"

"It's just…" Matsuda blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head, "Well, there's dust on the table tops and…well, you're usually a lot cleaner than that. So that would mean that you've either significantly changed since you quit the NPA or…well, you aren't really living here anymore. But then, that doesn't make much sense, 'cause why would you keep an apartment you're not living in…?"

Well…that was quite…observant. Raito was somewhat impressed, which was an emotion that was hard for him to have when he had such high expectations. Matsuda had caught on, and in fact…well, Raito needed a contact with the different agencies. As it was, he just got Misa or Teru to relay the messages to him, and they couldn't do that for long, especially when he became even more well known and people tried to find out who he was.

Another NPA agent was an ideal person to have seeing as he'd be well versed in protection and handling a gun, and Matsuda was easy enough to manipulate, and already did practically anything Raito asked. With his month off, Matsuda could easy be Raito's assistant…But did Raito even want to risk telling yet another person of his occupation as Kira? Teru and Takada were intelligent enough to be able to keep their mouths shut, and Misa was devoted enough to him to know that he'd be horribly angry with her if she slipped up…

However, Matsuda considered Raito his friend, and he hadn't gotten as far as he was in the NPA by opening his mouth about mysteries…sacrifices had to be made if he wanted to further himself. If he wanted to drive L's career into an early grave…

"Matsuda," Raito asked, leaning forward and smiling sweetly, "Can you keep a secret?"

It turned out that yes, Matsuda could keep a secret, and the man seemed rather thrilled (and perhaps more excited about Raito's occupation as Kira than Raito himself was) to be Kira's contact. His alias was Tetsu, from the word _tetsudau _meaning 'to assist'. He wore a tuxedo that Raito picked out and bought for him, as well as a black hat and a plain, black mask that covered the upper half of his face, save his eyes -it was better to keep it simple. The outfit Matsuda had tried to pick out first hand was Zorro-esque outfit that mad him look like an idiot.

Raito also purchase a voice scrambler for Matsuda, for there would be times when he needed to go to the NPA, and it was too much of a risk to take a chance on someone recognizing his voice. It looked very much like a microphone and hooked around his ear and a tiny bulb jutted out directly next to his mouth, giving him a voice much deeper and computer-like than his true one.

Raito also bought a very small laptop, only about five inches or so, with a retractable keyboard so that Matsuda could easily fit it into a small bag and therefore there was a lower probability of him dropping it at some point. His instructions were clear. Go in, introduce yourself and tell the agents what you're there for, connect the computer, _open the laptop, _and stay nearby and only speak if 'Kira' addresses you.

The first one went on with only a slight glitch, Matsuda fumbling with volume button, but it was barely noticeable. The second time, and the third, it went without a hitch, much to Raito's pleasure and, admittedly, shock. Since the meetings were so rare (there were very few times when Raito needed to talk to them via computer) Matsuda actually stayed with him two months after his return to work.

It just so happened that Matsuda was a better assistant than Raito had thought; he _had _been a detective for a reason…and he made excellent coffee.

It never did end up being temporary, and Matsuda resigned from the NPA in June of 2014, saying it was because he was ashamed of his blunder and although he'd tried to go back to work, it just wasn't the same. Only Mogi, Aizawa and Soichiro were truly sad to see him go, and Raito now purchased two rooms at each hotel, and paid for Matsuda's rent to make it look like he still resided at his home.

On July 28th, nine people were murdered in the same way all over the world, at the exact same time.

--

__

Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky, twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are…

--

Hello again, my beautiful readers! More details on the murders in the next chapter. Just so everyone gets my thought process, let me tell you my reasoning for L not thinking Raito is Kira;

He completely dismissed Raito's applications, because he really didn't care enough to check him out for himself. That in itself would mean he took it seriously. He didn't even think Raito was good enough to work with/for him, and suddenly there's this guy that is not only his equal, but may even be his better (which will come about later). It's two totally different people to him, his opinion of Raito is different perhaps even antonymous to the one he has of Kira, based on his own arrogant assumptions. I'll have L's POV in the next chapter, too, for a better representation of this.

And…I wonder if you liked the Misa/Teru interaction? Was it…dare I ask…funny? O O Congrats if you guessed Matsuda, by the way. ;) Just keep in mind he's probably in his late 30's now…he's probably more mature than he used to be, but don't worry, he'll still be the air headed, sweet, loud guy you remember…just more responsible, I think.

Reviews! XD Thank you sooooo much! Please comment, good or bad!

--Rue


	3. Arrogance and Humility

**Title:**Serenity's Requiem  
**Chapter:** 3/?  
**Author:** Rue  
**Rating:** M  
**Pairings:** Eventual LxRaito

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by the creator of Death Note. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Warnings:** AU, Yaoi, murder, crime, disturbing psychology, and future sexual situations.

**Summary:** Yaoi.Raito decides to become his own anonymous detective, Kira, when L refuses his attempts to work with him. It isn't long before rivals Kira and L are equally notorious, and a competition comes to them in the form of a gruesome, mocking murderer named B.

* * *

Chapter Two -******Arrogance and Humility**

* * *

--

_For all his learning or sophistication, man still instinctively reaches towards that force beyond. Only arrogance can deny its existence, and the denial falters in the face of evidence on every hand. -_Hal Borland

_--_

"Fucking shit in _hell, _Mello, you mother fucking _bastard!_"

"I think that's your record for how many times you've cussed in one sentence, Matt," replied said 'fucking bastard', kicking his feet up on the desk in front of him and gazing at the ceiling.

"Like hell, you ass. You just fucking _broke _my new PQ, I was _just _about to beat the fifth boss!" Matt was glaring at him, holding the pieces of his broken video game in his hands. "_Do you even know what that means?_"

"Not really." Mello shrugged, smirking, looking at the shards unflinchingly. It had been making the most _annoying _beeping sound and Mello had been happy to feel it crush beneath his combat boot.

"It _means _I'm going to shove the broken pieces of it in a _very _uncomfortable pla_ -_"

"Aren't you a little too old to play video games?" Mello sighed, looking over at his best friend, who was _much _too attached to material items for his liking. Mello liked his chocolate, that was it. Matt always seemed to have something in his hands, be it an alcohol bottle, a cigarette, a computer or one of his damn video games that made continuous bleeping sounds.

"Aren't _you _a little to old to believe in Santa Clause?" Matt responded sardonically.

"I _don't _believe in Santa Clause."

"Oh, right -that's _God,_" Matt smacked his forehead mockingly, "I get the two mixed up, y'see, seeing as _neither of them exist._"

Mello's eyes flashed and he sat up straight, yanking his feet off the table.

"Go to hell, Matt!"

"According to you, I already am," replied the red head, his mouth curling into a wry smile now that he had the upper hand of the argument again.

"I should kick your mother fucking ass, you retard!" Mello seethed, taking a hold of his rosary as though attempting to protect it from his friend's blasphemous words.

"Are you even allowed to say 'mother fucking'?" Matt pretended to think about it honestly, "Isn't incest a _sin _or something_?_"

"Why the _hell _do I hang out with you?"

"Because I'm the shit, that's why," Matt countered, flopping back into his chair and leaving the pieces of his game on the ground. There was nothing he could do about it, after all. He'd just get Watari to buy him another one -it was only a two hundred pounds and it wasn't like the old man couldn't afford it.

"Might have something to do with the fact we _work _together," Mello hissed, searching for the chocolate he'd left on the desk with his left hand blindly, his eyes occupied with glaring at the gamer.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's 'cuz I'm awesome."

"No, it's -damn it, where the hell is my chocolate!?" Mello ignored the fight he was currently having, and looked at the desk. There was no silver wrapped slim bar of chocolaty in sight. "Where the -?"

"I believe," droned a clear voice from across the room, "That Matt took it, feeling the need to repay you for the destruction of his game."

"Wh -!" Mello's head spun to Near, curled up in the corner, putting together one of his puzzles until L returned, and then snapped back to a very smug looking Matt. "Give. It. Back."

"Give _what _back, Mello? The only evidence that I have anything of yours is from Near -and we both know he's not the most honest person in the world," Matt looked at Near, "No offence, bro."

"You do understand that although we grew up together, we are not biologically related."

"So?"

"Give me my chocolate, damn it, or so _help _me I will -"

"Mello, Matt, I daresay that you're much too vocal for this time of morning," Watari stated, waltzing into the room with L slouching behind him. Upon seeing L, Mello and Matt closed their mouths, not wanting to upset L after he'd just woken up.

The man didn't sleep much, partly because he got more work done that way, but mostly because when he did, and he woke up, he was cranky bastard. It took five cups of tea and at least seven different sweets to get him back to normal, which was, incidentally, not very normal at all.

"I concur," L said, rubbing his eyes and plopping himself into the chair, pulling himself into his normal crouch lazily. Watari informed him that he would bring him his sweets and tea immediately, and L nodded distantly as the older man left. "Please tell me you've been doing something other than arguing the entire time I was incapacitated."

L never referred to sleep as sleep. Unconscious, incapacitated, temporarily cataleptic…but never _sleep_.

"Why do you look at me when you say that?" Mello grumbled, and picked up his paper handing it to L, who took it. They'd spent the last three hours that had been 'indisposed' researching the nine murders that had taken place simultaneously all over the world. Near stayed in the corner, playing with his hair and putting together his puzzle, silently waiting for work to begin again.

While L was preoccupied, Mello took his opportunity to get his chocolate back.

Even if he had to pry it out of Matt's cold, stiff fingers after he beat him into a blood pulp.

--

L read the papers, his mind almost completely alert but easily irritated as his wide eyes scanned quickly. The murders all occurred at the same time, in the same way. Two in North America (LA and New York) , two in China (Hong Kong and Beijing) , one in Japan (Tokyo), one in Canada (Toronto), one in South America (Hagatna, Guam) , one in England (London) and one in France (Paris).

They were each drugged and then chopped in half at the waste. Then the bodies are posed, one horizontal and the other vertical...which was the shape of an L, obviously. _L. _The house of each room was wiped down completely, thoroughly, some better than others, but each wiped down just the same.

By posing the bodies that that shape… he was practically saying 'Does this catch your attention, L?' Whoever it was…apparently was either a complete lunatic, or actually had a personal vendetta against him. L was both surprised and…not so surprised. Being the best detective in the world required making some enemies, and turning down quite a few allies. For secrecy reasons, and because there was just no way around it. When your were successful, people wanted that success, wanted to bring you down. He actually go quite a few offers from police men and government agents all of the world to work with him, and he never answered any of them with anything but 'no'.

In fact, there had been one from Japan, he remembered, that Watari had tried to talk him in to taking...but the way L saw it was, if the people were really that good, he would have found _them. _Besides, he already had three young people to train, he didn't need to worry about another person with so little experience, he didn't have time to mentor anyone else, even if he wanted to.

L had took to training his three most promising successors in person three years ago, and had time for little else. He worked on his cases, mentored his charges and, just recently, took to trying to find out who the hell _Kira _was. But that was just for fun, a hobby really…He wasn't _worried _at all, because although this man -whoever he may be -might be as smart as he was. He was still _L, _and it had taken him over fifteen years to build up the reputation he had.

There was a very little possibility of this Kira ever catching up.

"The eyes are open," L stated, cocking his head to the side. "On the corpses. They were drugged first…they should be sleeping."

"Yeah, we noticed," Matt nodded, "That means the perps opened them after death. The hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"If we knew," L replied just as Watari entered the rook with a tray full of cakes, treats and candies and a pitcher of tea. "Then this wouldn't exactly be a case, would it?"

"True," Mello conceded. L went back to reading the papers and began to file the victim's information in his head.

USA, Los Angelos: Brilliance Bottlecap. Female. Age 20. Waitress.

USA, New York City: Dark Dreaming. Male. Age 32. Accountant.

China, Hong Kong: Divide Dynasty. Male. Age 15. Student.

China, Beijing: Silk Shi. Female. Age 19. Student. Fast Food Employee.

Japan, Tokyo: Kimono Kanji. Female. Age 37. Housewife.

Canada, Toronto: Wing Waterfall. Male. Age 45. Biologist.

Guam, Hagatna: Beach Bubblebath. Male. Age 26. Professional Diver.

England, London: Honor Hourglass. Male. Age 28. Police Officer.

France, Paris: Tower Trapdoor. Male. Age 60. Author.

There was little in common about their jobs and ages, they all lived in large, main cities, but L felt there was a 95 percent chance that was for publicity purposes only. Their names were all alliterative, and they were all killed at the same time in the same way…but other than those things, they had practically nothing in common.

L shook his head and finished reading, putting the paper down.

"There is good news and bad news," L told him, and each of them gave him their attention in their own way. Matt gave a curt nod, and stopped typing, Mello looked directly at him, and Near paused slightly at the words, and then continued on, slower now and still putting together the puzzle, but attentive.

"That's how is always is, isn't it?" Matt snorted when L paused to take a sip of his tea. He withheld a grimace and dropped a few sugar cubes in, then took a bite out of an éclair.

"The good news is that I am 99 percent sure of who the murderer is," L stated, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling. This made even Near look up from his puzzle.

"You…what?" Mello asked, eyes wide.

"Do you remember B?" L inquired, holding the other half of his éclair precariously between his thumb and forefinger.

"Well, fucking _yeah, _he's sort of hard to forget," Matt scoffed, shifting his goggles a bit as they dug into his nose. "I was only thirteen but…he was a bit of a loony."

"A bit," Mello rolled his eyes, "That's the understatement of the fucking year, Matt. He was mental -sore on the face of humanity. Dressed up exactly like L, that stupid -"

"I assure you that B is anything but _stupid _Mello," L stated, plopping the rest of his creamy, chocolate glazed cake into his mouth. Through a mouth full of soft filling, he spoke again, "Near, do you ?"

"Remember B?" Near scratched the back of his head shortly before resuming the twirling of his lock, resting his hand on the one knee that was in the air, "Yes, of course. I believe he left August 3rd, twelve years ago."

"That's correct," L nodded, and popped a small cookie into his mouth.

"So you believe B is behind these murders," Near said next, tugging a bit on his white tresses. "I suppose that is a high probability. He did have a certain need for your attention, and he seemed to have a very unstable mind, there is a significant chance that you are correct in your assumption."

"Yes, I thought so too," L nodded, looking to Matt and Mello, who were contemplating this. They seemed to have no rebukes, no arguments against the theory. Of course, L knew they would think of nothing. He had thought of it objectively, looking at every angle -no, it was almost certain that B was behind this.

"So we know who the murderer is," Mello's brow furrowed, "But how did he do it? A single person can't kill that many people at once, all over the world. That's impossible."

"Which means," Near shrugged shortly, "That he did no do it alone. He must of have accomplices, at least nine of them."

"Yeah, I mean, the fact that some of them weren't wiped as thoroughly as others is a testimony to that," Matt agreed, "But fuck, how'd he get that many people to cooperate?"

"Well, he's had twelve years to gather up criminals and force them to work for him," Mello replied, looking at his friend and brushing a piece of blond hair out of his eyes, "I mean, he could gain a lot of trust and allies during that period of time."

"Do we know B's real name?" Matt asked curiously, but L shook his head.

Mello turned back to L and tore open his newly recovered chocolate, that had been sitting in his hand during the revelation.

"I'm thinking maybe the mafia."

"No, that is very unlikely," L responded immediately, "They would have gotten at least two people to go in, and at each scene there is only witnesses and proof of one person entering. Not to mention…while some of the murders were executed brilliantly, others were sloppy…frankly, I think the mafia, with all their experience, would do a better job."

"Yeah, one of them even looked like it was done by a fucking doctor," Matt sniffed and ran a hand through his hair, slouching in his seat, "Damn, I mean, just…that bleeding wrong. Doctor using his medical training to better cut a person in two, y'know?"

"It's not the first time," L responded and bit down on his thumb after taking a sip of tea, "It doesn't matter who they are. They're equal in their injustice."

"Yeah," Matt sat up and dug in the pocket of his vest, fishing out a cigarette packet, "I need a smoke. I'll be on the roof, get me if anything ha -"

Beep.

Matt blinked behind his goggles and looked at his computer, and put his pack of down again and clicked, telling the others in the room, "We've got mail."

He opened the window and started reading informing L, Near and Mello, "Dude, B sent us messages."

"What?" Mello blinked, turning to his won computer just as L did the same to his own. Even Near walked over to his designated computer, something he rarely did. He didn't really need or like computers, content for someone else to print it out or read it to him.

L's eyes scanned the two small poems -or riddles, whatever they were -and memorized them, his brain immediately going to work on figuring them out.

_John likes girls who bleed,_

_Dreams every angel tempts him,_

_Recites scriptures in his sleep_

_Is invisible to justice's whim._

John. An actual person? Was that a hint at one of the murderers…? No, no, B wouldn't be that stupid, he wouldn't give something like that away and risk being betrayed. So it meant something else. Girls who bleed…was that…the menstrual cycle? L stopped his nose from wrinkling at the thought. B certainly was a strange guy…it really wasn't much of a surprise that he became a criminal…

Criminal. L blinked, and immediately his hands flew to the computer, checking up on the facts. He wasn't totally versed in this case, although he knew about it because it was unsolved…The page pulled up, and he read it quickly, nibbling his thumb.

"Did you find something, then?" Mello asked, noting L's particularly enthusiastic chewing.

"Shut the fuck up and look on you own instead of mooching off L's clues, ya leech," Matt snapped playfully, and Mello scowled, but ignored him.

"So? Did you get something?"

"I believe that B is alluding to the serial killer known as Bible John," L informed them, "The three victims that were found of his were all coincidently on their premenstrual syndrome, thus the 'John liking girls who bleed'. He was also thought to be a very religious man, therefore the name _Bible John, _and the poem says that he recites scriptures in his seat."

"I remember that case," Mello lean back in the computer chair until it threatened to fall over, "I read about it. It's never been solved. Invisible to justice's whim…"

"Yes, exactly," L nodded, "However I fail to see what this has to do with anything to do with his case, is he trying to hint that he knows something about it?"

"Maybe there isn't hidden meaning at all," Matt suggested helpfully, "Maybe he just wants to fuck with our minds."

"The next one is contradictory," Near interrupted their tossing of idea. L thought that was probably best anyway, since they had figured out a bit of the first one. Perhaps the second poem would give then a clue as to what to do with the first one. L looked back at the next message.

_I have four spheres_

_But I am not round_

_I am in a prison of water_

_But I do not drown._

_What am I?_

"The definition of a sphere is a globular body, therefore it must be round," Near pointed out, his finger tightening in his hair just vaguely.

"It's a riddle, Near, think outside of the box." Mello rolled his eyes and frowned.

"What about Kira?" said a gravelly voice from the doorway, where Watari had just entered. The man walked in and looked directly at L, "It says at the bottom of the email that the top four detectives in the world were put in this case because it's so international, and three of them are you. The fourth is technically since you have no other equal competition...Kira…what do you plan do about him?"

"That's simple," L replied, running the tip of his thumb across the front of his teeth, "Absolutely nothing."

"Do you really think that's wise…?"

"I am already ahead of Kira in this case, for I know who the killer is," L told Watari easily, thinking through the second riddle thoroughly as he spoke, "It would be interesting to know who he is, but I am not going to focus too much on him. It isn't as important as catching criminals. Besides, there is less than a ten percent chance of him catching up to me, and even less of him taking my place as the best detective in the world. I am not worried."

Watari paused, pursed his lips, shook his head and then walked back out, leaving the young detectives to their puzzle.

Although L had to admit, there was something very satisfying about the fact he knew something Kira didn't.

The thing about governments is, that whenever the best person for the job is going through some sort of hard time or scandal, they are quick to jump to the second best, regardless of the best's qualifications. Or fourth best. Most of the time, this wasn't a good thing, but for Yagami Raito, it _was._

Under other circumstances, he would have never been asking onto such a high profile case, but it just so happened that the government didn't want to be completely dependant on L. Or the other two that seemed to at least be in league with the detective. So then Raito was brought onto the case, and was more than pleased by this accomplishment.

If he were to solve this case instead of L, his notoriety would skyrocket.

At the moment he was becoming even more successful in Japan. A news reporter (if one was flattering) from Sakura Television was jealous of Takada's ratings, and thought the way to improve was to report Kira's cases more than she did. Demegawa was his name, a greedy, pig of a man -and Raito found him repulsive -but he also was thankful for the publicity that the man inadvertently gave him.

Matsuda handed Raito his coffee with a smile and plopped down in the seat next to him, "So, find anything new?"

"I figured out the second riddle," Raito offered flippantly, having done so over fifteen minutes ago. It wasn't actually that difficult, but Matsuda gasped.

"_Really? _That's amazing!" Matsuda leaned forward as though what Raito was going to tell him was a secret that was to be whispered in a crowded room, not a fact to be said in the emptiness of the hotel room, "So what is it?"

"_I have four spheres, but I am not round," _Raito recited dispassionately, sipping his coffee, "_I am in a prison of water, but I do not drown. _Four spheres, surrounded by water…the brain."

Matsuda blinked, then gaped, "Whoa, I would have never thought of that. You got that Bible John one practically immediately -you're so good, Raito-kun."

Raito nodded, resisting the urge to say '_Of course I am' _and instead turning back to his computer, crossing one leg over the other. Matsuda provided a purpose, he reminded himself, he needed him to run his errands and talk to people in person. At least the man hadn't been completely useless on the cases either; although his intellect was nothing compared to Raito's, he was able to think more simply, while Raito tended to overanalyze. It had helped him more than once.

"Oh, hey, you're sister called!" Matsuda said, grinning slightly, "Said you should come over for dinner Friday, said not to worry because you're dad wont be home that night."

That didn't sound particularly appealing, father or no. Having a family was particularly burdensome when trying to be anonymously successful, for one thing, and his father and him weren't on the best of terms aside from an occasional visit from Soichiro whenever he felt the urge to try to talk his son into rejoining the NPA. The man wasn't angry per se, but he'd been severely disappointed in Raito when the young man had left the NPA with very little reasoning.

The formal report said that he planned on having a family soon, and that he didn't want to put them in danger in that kind of job, which many agents understood. Soichiro, however, knew better. He knew that his son had no girlfriend, and no plans for children -and had demanded Raito tell him the real excuse. So Raito had informed him that it 'just wasn't what he was interested in doing anymore'.

Soichiro made it a point to give him a certain look every time they saw each other that only disappointed fathers could pull off. However, that didn't mean he could deprive his sister and mother just because his father was making him uncomfortable.

Raito nodded and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, "Which number did she call from, home or cell?"

"Uh -" Matsuda paused, "Home. No, no, cell."

"Well," Raito suppressed a sigh, "Which is it, Matsuda?"

"Cell, I'm sure!" Matsuda nodded furiously, and smiled widely, scratching the back of his head.

"Sayu Cell," Raito spoke into his phone and it immediately flipped to the window with the 25-year-old's number on it. He was about to say _'Call' _when his the phone in his hand began to ring. Raito frowned, found the person calling was Teru, and said instead, "_Answer."_

There was a click.

"Hello?"

"Raito," Teru greeted smoothly, "I'm on my way over to your hotel. I have information that is of importance to you."

"What information?" Raito asked, holding the phone just a little bit tighter. Teru only called for good reasons. "And _how _important?"

"Extremely important," Teru answered, "Information that could put you ahead of L, something he doesn't know. I just figured it out today, because of the letters from the killer."

"Is there a particular reason you're stalling, or are you just trying to be an asshole?" Raito inquired impatiently, excited despite himself. He didn't allow it to show, for Matsuda was still sitting in front of him, watching him expectantly, waiting for the conversation with Teru to end so he could be in on what the new information was.

Teru chuckled softly, "I apologize. Two weeks before the murder, a blank crossword puzzle was mailed to our office."

"Aren't they supposed to be blank?" Raito replied quickly, "Isn't the point to fill them out?"

"I don't mean the boxes were blank, I mean the place where the clues were supposed to be," Teru clarified, and there was a hesitation where Raito was almost positive that Teru was straightening his glasses. "There was two letters scribbled on the back, though. _K.K._"

Raito narrowed his eyes, "K.K….as in Kimono Kanji, the woman who was killed in Japan -wait, Teru, where did you say you found this crossword?"

"Two weeks before the murders it was mailed to the courthouse I work in," Teru explained, "There was nothing to do with it, so people wanted to throw it away, and I -"

"Filed it," Raito finished, and heard a light scratching noise as Teru nodded against his phone. "That's…great. If there was one for Japan, the killer sent it to the other countries too."

"I should imagine so," Teru agreed passively, "You should check it out. I'm pulling into the lot right now, I am bringing the crossword puzzle to you. I shall see you in a moment."

"Good. Thank you, Teru," Raito responded shortly, hanging up. Matsuda blinked as Raito stood up and walked over to the window.

A head start. He knew something no one else did. Something _L _didn't know. He was already ahead of the man, and the self righteous bastard was going to go down. Raito smirked, lifting up his hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from the rising sun as he looked out the window and into the dull blue sky. L would soon be falling faster than the speed of light, lower than he'd ever fallen before…

And L wouldn't even know what hit him.

--

_All too often arrogance accompanies strength, and we must never assume that justice is on the side of the strong. The use of power must always be accompanied by moral choice.-_Theodore Bikel

--

I was trying to keep the naming thing up, strange words that aren't really names, but sort of pass for one. The author of DN: Another Note said he did this because he wanted to make the victims impersonal, and didn't want any of the victims to share their name with a real person.

PQ, that game Matt was talking about, is merely a fabrication. I figured it's in the future, so there would be a new video game. Think of it as an advance PSP.

I hope I answered the question about Watari. He knows, but he's not telling L. Why would he? There's no harm that it'll do for L not to know, and if he does find out eventually, if anything it will be a lesson in not underestimating people. :) That's just the way I see it anyway.

Hm...about the seme/uke thing...I'm a definite L-seme fan. However, I don't believe in Raito being a true submissive little blushing writhing thing, either, although that's undeniably hot for PWP's. Raito will be uke, but in a realistic way, they will technically be equals; there won't be 'the girl' stereotype...I don't truly believe he's a uke, he's just more uke than L, or less seme. :P

So many reviews. (swoons) Thank you so much! (hugs all of you) I love all of them. Thank you for your constructive criticism and complements. It's all MUCH appreciated.

Again, reviews make me a happy panda…and who wants to see a panda cry? I mean, really. O O

--Rue


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